Game apparatus.



H. O. SGHREIBER & G. A. GEISZ.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY OTTO SGHBEIIBER AND CHARLES ALBERT GEISZ, OF EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO;

SAID GEISZ ASSIGNOR T0 SAID SCHREIBER.

GAME APPARATUS.

'Specification of Lettersl'atent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application filed. January 2, 1909. Serial No. 470,377.

the United States, and residents of. East Liverpool, in the county of Oolumbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. A

This invention is an improved toy being in the nature of a miniature or table basket ball game; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a detail section illustrating the manner of securing the blowing tube and the arrangement of the nozzle end thereof relatively to the ball, Fig. 3 is a detail plan view illustratingthe invention as emodied in a cross shape table adapted for use by'four players in playing partnership games, Fig. 4 is a plan view and Fig. 4 is a side View of an octagonal board having the basket in the center of the board adapted for use by four, six oreight players and also showing a screen or netting to prevent the balls from falling to the floor and Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating a spring construction for projecting the balls.

As shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus embodies a base A upon which, near its ends,

are'secured blocks B, whose undersides are grooved longitudinally at B to a point where they communicate with an opening B which c'urvesor inclines upwardly to the upper face of the block B immediately in rear of a depression B forming a seat for the ball C. The tubes D which. may have removable mouth pieces D and are prefera ly of flexible tubing, are insertedat their discharge ends in the grooves B and project upwardly through the openings B and extend at their nozzle ends slightly above the blocks B and have their discharge or nozzle ends sloped off at D in order to discharge the jet of air at such an angle as'to project the ball C when impinged thereby in the direction of the goal, the flight of the ball being controlled by the force of the jet of air which may be discharged by the mouth of the operator directly to the mouth pieceend of the tube D or, ifdesired, a compression bulb E as shown in Fig. 2 may be used to secure the air pressure for discharging the jet to project the ball and in some instances it may be desirable in playing the game to use spring devices for projecting the ball as will be understood, from Fig. 5 of, the drawings.

The goals are shown as baskets E similar to the well known basket ball baskets and these baskets are mounted by their shanks E on the goal posts F which latter are preferably journaled at their lower ends F in sockets formed in the blocks B. It will be noticed that the basket shanks E also extend entirely through the goal posts so they may be withdrawn and inserted in the opposite sides of the goal posts or the goal posts may be given a half revolution in order to adjust the goal baskets from the inner to the outer sides of the goal posts as shown in four, six or eight players, In Fig. 4 we show an octagonal board which can be used for two, four, six or eight players, as may be desired.

By reversing the basket from the inner to the outer side of the goal post, it will be noticed a new difiiculty is presented in the game, v

as after a player has got the gage pretty well ofthe pressure required for throwing the ball into the basket when 'the latter is in one position, the basket may be shifted to the opposite position, both ositions being in the line of the projection o the ball and one position requir ng a difierent pressure from the other in order to secure the discharge of the ball into the basket so that this may beused for varying the game and in some cases be used for handicapping some of the players, thus increasing the interest in the game.

the players may each take one end of the board and place the balls on the starting points, and one then blows through the tube to cause the ball to leap toward the basket at the opposite end of the board. This op- 105 eration is facilitated by the projecting tapered ends D of the tubes. I the pro ected ball lands in its basket, the player has made.

a goal and can blow again and ag in until he mlssesa goal. It more than two are to 1.10

In playing the game of parlor basket ball,

play the game, the partner of the first blower may take his turn and so on alternately. After a predetermined time, or number of plays, the board may be reversed or turned end for end and the count for the score of the first half taken. This time may be ten minutes in analogy to the time of a half in the ordinary basket ball game and after a second half played as before, the side making the highest total score in both halves is declared the winner of the game.

The game can also be played by playing for a certain number of goals and other rules may be adopted to suit the players and can if desired be copied from the regular basket ball rule books.

It might be stated that the party who blows the ball into the basket ten times first Wins by a certain number (10) of goals.

In practice the tubes D are preferably made of suficient length to enable them to be brought at their mouth piece ends sufliciently close together to be blown by the same operator at the same time. In this operation, if exactly the same pressure be exerted through both tubes, there is a probability of both balls colliding between the goals, whereas by varying the pressure exerted through the two tubes, in which skill may be acquired by a little practice,the

balls may be projected one slightly in advance of the other in order to avoid colliding with the prospect of landing one or both balls in the goals. I

It will be noticed that the construction for permitting the shifting of the basket to different positions, enables us not only to adjust the basket to different positions in the direction of the projection of the ball, but also enables us to shift the basket laterally or to one or the other side of the goal post, which may be desired in order to permit the tilting of the board to one side and the discharge of the ball when the board is'so tilted in the direction of the laterally disposed basket.

The game can be played with considerable skill and also creates a beneficial development of the lungs and will be found amusing and entertaining not only to small children but to larger ones and adult-s.

We claim:

l. A toy basket ball game apparatus coniprlsing a board, opposite blocks thereon, each having a longitudinal passage for a blowing tube and having an opening leading thence upwardly to the upper face of the block, the latter having a depression adjacent to said opening and forming a ball seat, blow pipes, one fitting in each of said longitudinal passages and openings and projecting at its nozzle end above the block and having said end sloped adjacent to the ball seat, goal posts journaled in their respective blocks whereby they may be given a half turn to change the position of goal baskets carried thereby relatively to the board, and goal baskets, one carried by each of said posts, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a basket ball game apparatus of a board, a block mounted on the board and having in its upper face a depression forming the ball seat, and having in its under side a gropve opening at one end at the edge of the block and communicating at its other or inner end with the ball seat in the upper face of the block, a tube held in said groove, a post mounted on the board. and a basket carried by the post, subs-tam tially as set forth.

3. A basket ball game apparatus comprising a board, a pair of ball seats oppositely disposed, a pair of goal baskets cor responding to their respective ball seats and a pair of blow pipes having their discharge ends in fixed relation to and adjacent to their respective ball seats whereby jets of air discharged therefrom may projectthe'balls toward their respective goal baskets, the blow pipes being of sufiicient length to permit their moiith piece ends to be brought suificiently close together to adapt them to be blown simultaneously by the same person, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination in the game apparatus substantially as described, of a base, a block thereon and having a ball seat in its upper face, an opening adjacent thereto and a longitudinal groove in its under side communicating at its inner end with said opening, and a blow pipe fitting in said groove and having its nozzle end extending up through the opening in the block and terminating adjacent to the ball seat, substantially as set forth.

5. A toy basket ball game apparatus comprising a board, a block thereon having a longitudinal passage over a blow tube, and an opening leading thence upwardly to the upper face of the block and having in said face adjacent to said opening a depression forming a ball seat, a blow pipe fitting in said longitudinal passage and opening, a journaled goal post, and a basket carried thereby, substantially as set forth.

6. A toy basket ball game apparatus comprising a post, a support in which said post is journaled at its lower end whereby it may be turned, said post having a transverse opening extending entirely through it, and a basket having a stem detachably fitted in said opening and adapted to be inserted therein from either end, substantially as set forth.

HENRY OTTO SOHREIBER. CHARLES ALBERT GEISZ.

' Vitnesses G. E. DAVIDSON, ITLE McDALn. 

